Hip Pointer
Sermon
WRESTLINGS, WONDERS AND WANDERERS!
Sermons For Pentecost (First Third)
Our narrative begins with Jacob's sending his family across the Jabbok stream while staying behind to spend the night alone. Tomorrow he must face his brother, Esau, whom he has not seen since he escaped after stealing Esau's blessing and having fleeced him out of his birthright. Jacob does not know how his brother will receive him… but several possibilities have occurred to him -- none of them positive.
It should come as no surprise that Jacob got little sleep that night. Who could sleep well, knowing that one must stand in front of an angry brother and beg for forgiveness?
The story of Jacob's wrestling is one of the most widely discussed passages of all the patriarch material.11 This is partially due to the fact that this is a complex and somewhat confusing story. For example, how many of you can name Jacob's adversary? Did Jacob wrestle all night with a man, an angel, God, or a combination of all of these? The text leaves all of these as possibilities.
At one point there is a reference to a man and, at another, God and man. Later in the story this enemy does not have enough power to quickly defeat Jacob yet has enough power to bestow a blessing. So is he, or it, human or divine?
Perhaps the ambiguity, the mystery, makes the story even more relevant to us. Many of our enemies have no clear identity: an illness with no name and no cure, a depression that won't leave us, a sluggish economy that results in the loss of a job. It is not easy for us to fight an enemy we cannot clearly identify. We are often left with only the veiled enemies we call fate, or fear, or self-doubt, or guilt. These mysterious enemies are difficult to defeat! So in this story perhaps it is not important to know the identity of Jacob's sparring partner. The more important thing is discerning Jacob's strategy for victory.
Central to the story is the fact that Jacob was victorious neither by virtue of his being fearless (indeed he was quite frightened -- both of Esau and of this stranger) nor by reason of his super-human strength (for he never really defeated his enemy outright). Rather, Jacob received a reward because he was tenacious and hopeful; he would not quit until he got a blessing.
But, even so, the story suggests the presence of grace. That is to say, Jacob does not force his enemy or God to give him a blessing. Rather, it seems that God in his mercy awards him a gift after struggle: Jacob no longer will be called Jacob but will have a new identity. He no longer will be Jacob ("heel/trickster/over-reacher…") but Israel, which may mean "God Rules, God Preserves, God Protects…."12 Out of Jacob's struggle, the chosen people called Israelites are born.
If we, like Jacob, receive a blessing through struggle, the credit belongs both to God and to us. But we should never forget that the very possibility for a blessing is a gift from God, a legacy left for each one of us.
There is one other point of the story that I would like to emphasize: Though there was a blessing for Jacob, it came only after a long and difficult struggle. The encounter ended not with a "happily ever after" finish but with Jacob's walking away with a pronounced limp. So, to say that every struggle has a blessing does not mean there is no price to pay. To say that every cloud has a silver lining does not mean we are prevented from getting drenched or even spared from catching the flu. The plot of Jacob's encounter does not read like a fairy tale. Everything does not change with the wave of a magic wand but only after sweat and struggle. Jacob's story is a true-to-life story: Somewhere in the midst of an almost overwhelming struggle there can be significant gain. At times the gain may even justify the suffering. If not, it is still worthy of effort.
I believe that Jacob's struggle has many parallels to our own battles and that his rewards can be our rewards. The biblical faith as a whole and ordinary life in particular both bear out the fact that human struggle always has within it the potential for gain -- always!
First, let me offer a very personal example. In December of last year I developed what was first diagnosed as a sciatic nerve problem. I had to stand through every church service in late December. In January the doctors discovered a damaged disc and I had to have back surgery. The whole experience was both traumatic and enriching. This particular passage now has special meaning to me. I can identify with Jacob's wrestling and his ailment.
It was amusing to me that, as I read one of the commentaries, there was a reference not to the "sinew of the hip" but to one particular nerve of the hip and leg -- a part of the anatomy that has become very familiar to me: the "sciatic nerve."13
During this past year I have struggled not only with this sciatic nerve but also with such things as fear, anxiety, discomfort, pain, boredom. But through this experience I also am very conscious of many blessings.
The most obvious blessing was a new awareness and compassion for what so many others have weathered before me -- the vulnerability of experiencing an illness that could not be quickly diagnosed or quickly treated, the uncertainty of surgery, the psychological and mental anguish of taking an M.R.I. test while being claustrophobic. Through these many experiences and feelings, I gained a new sensitivity to the plight of others, a new fervor for prayer and a renewed compassion I hope I will never lose.
The second blessing was a most pleasant reward. I received something in my struggle that Jacob was denied: the gift of loving support and encouragement in the midst of my struggle. Jacob was all alone when he met his nocturnal enemy; I had the thoughts and prayers of many. I had cards and phone calls to cheer me and urge my recovery. I am now convinced more than ever of the importance of letting others know that we care when they are going through sickness, surgery or crisis.
This morning I want to share with you a glimpse of some of that encouragement. It began with notes and cards that expressed one key theme: "Our thoughts and prayers are with you." Doesn't it make a difference when we hear those words in our time of trial?
I received a tape from the kindergarten and 3- and 4-year-old classes. What a joy to listen to their voices!
I received many warm and colorful greetings:
"Cheer up, 'cause God loves you!… And any friend of God's is a friend of mine!"
"Heard you had an operation!… Hope it didn't take too much out of you!"
"Hear you're in the hospital!… What some people won't do for a little attention!"
But one card was especially appropriate. A woman who had suffered for many months with an injury, sent me not a get-well card but a sympathy card. She wanted me to know that she knew how I felt!
To help me with my personal struggle, I received a lot of cards with advice:
"Don't let your doctor put one of those sticks in your mouth… until you know who ate the ice cream."
"Please take good care of yourself… I have enough to worry about without adding you to my list."
As you can see, I had many words of encouragement. These cards and notes were a blessing in and of themselves. But the feeling of being loved and appreciated -- that was a great gift!
Most of you have had your share of struggles. Many of them, I'm sure, had blessings that came with them -- especially if you kept struggling, kept hoping, kept expecting that there would be a payoff somewhere. Why, indeed, should we ever suffer pain without staying around long enough to receive our blessing? There always is one there. Do you believe that?
Paul believed that. My grandmother believed that. Dr. Albert Outler, noted theologian, believed that. Some of your closest friends, ones who have suffered much, believe that. No matter what the struggle, no matter who the enemy, no matter how terribly long the battle, there is a blessing to be received.
Struggle with guilt? There is forgiveness and hope. Struggle with fear? There is peace of mind in the future. Wrestle with illness? There is strength sufficient for the hour. Out of work? There is a new perspective to be gained. Concerned for a loved one? There is a faith that offers abiding presence for them and for us. Struggling with a relationship? There is the possibility for reconciliation or, if not, the gift of the power and presence of God.
There is no personal struggle for which there is no blessing. That does not mean there will be no pain or no need for courageous endurance. That does not mean we will walk away with no scars or with no limp. But it does mean that human struggle has a purpose, that struggling is not for naught, that life is never hopeless.
What would have happened if Jacob had yelled "Uncle?" What if he had "thrown in the towel" before daybreak? Would God have been forced to go to "Plan B?"
We don't know what would have happened had Jacob given up, but we do know about ourselves. We all know times when we have stopped short in our struggle, when we've had our fill of struggling and quit before the payoff. We all know the empty feeling that comes when we have experienced the pain without receiving the payoff. But that is as tragic as going through a domestic fight, getting all upset and never having the joy of making up! Jacob's strategy, Jacob's advice, makes good sense: "Don't let go until the blessing!"
I must admit that there are times when Jacob's principle is put to the ultimate test. There are times when we are ill and we do not return to health. There are times when personal relationships end in betrayal. There are times when the enemy we are fighting is so strong and so persistent that there seems little chance for victory or for blessing.
But I am claiming that every difficult struggle has not just a "token" blessing, but a significant one, that clouds have more than just a pretty silver lining -- that they are draped with the rainbows of God's blessing.
I'm not talking about "success theology" preached on television. I am not promising you as Christians a better job, restored health, material abundance or a life without tragedy. I'm talking about the promise of blessing in every struggle.
I'm not talking about a consolation prize as in the story of the Kansas farmer who had fat chickens because they fed on the swarms of grasshoppers that had stripped bare his crops and pasture. I'm not talking about a magic wand that removes the struggles of life, or takes away all scars, or ensures that there will be no limp, no residual signs of our struggle. Don't we as Christians have the cross as our symbol of faith? Don't we proclaim victory in the midst of defeat? Do we not believe in the resurrection of the dead?
I'm talking today about a faith in God in the midst of every struggle, a faith that will see us through the daily battle with alcohol, or the lifelong struggle for self-worth, or the constant battle with poor health. I'm talking about believing that one can find blessings in the strangest of places. And we find them in part because we hang in, hold on, hang tough.
But more important, we find blessings in every struggle because God puts them there. He hides these treasures in the tall grass of adversity and hopes we will search long and hard enough to find them.
One of my favorite cantatas by Alice Parker is "Melodious Accord." It ends with a magnificent hymn titled "God Moves in a Mysterious Way." Two verses proclaim the central message of Jacob's hopeful endurance:
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face.14
Jacob was right. He believed there was a blessing somewhere in his struggle. He wrestled even in the midst of his fear. He dared to ask for that which he did not deserve. He endured and received a new identity and a new direction.
Saint Paul would endorse Jacob's belief that there is blessing in every struggle. But Paul's affirmation would be based not only on the human struggle, but also on Paul's experience of the risen Christ.
Paul believed that every traumatic struggle in life had a blessing. For Paul, that blessing, that guarantee, that ultimate reality was there in the face of any enemy, any danger, any hardship, any challenge. Paul specifically named that ultimate blessing in his letter to the church at Rome:
What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31, 35, 37-39).
As we struggle with life, we need not quit. We have the presence and power of God to see us through. So hang in, hold on, hang tough. A blessing is on its way!
It should come as no surprise that Jacob got little sleep that night. Who could sleep well, knowing that one must stand in front of an angry brother and beg for forgiveness?
The story of Jacob's wrestling is one of the most widely discussed passages of all the patriarch material.11 This is partially due to the fact that this is a complex and somewhat confusing story. For example, how many of you can name Jacob's adversary? Did Jacob wrestle all night with a man, an angel, God, or a combination of all of these? The text leaves all of these as possibilities.
At one point there is a reference to a man and, at another, God and man. Later in the story this enemy does not have enough power to quickly defeat Jacob yet has enough power to bestow a blessing. So is he, or it, human or divine?
Perhaps the ambiguity, the mystery, makes the story even more relevant to us. Many of our enemies have no clear identity: an illness with no name and no cure, a depression that won't leave us, a sluggish economy that results in the loss of a job. It is not easy for us to fight an enemy we cannot clearly identify. We are often left with only the veiled enemies we call fate, or fear, or self-doubt, or guilt. These mysterious enemies are difficult to defeat! So in this story perhaps it is not important to know the identity of Jacob's sparring partner. The more important thing is discerning Jacob's strategy for victory.
Central to the story is the fact that Jacob was victorious neither by virtue of his being fearless (indeed he was quite frightened -- both of Esau and of this stranger) nor by reason of his super-human strength (for he never really defeated his enemy outright). Rather, Jacob received a reward because he was tenacious and hopeful; he would not quit until he got a blessing.
But, even so, the story suggests the presence of grace. That is to say, Jacob does not force his enemy or God to give him a blessing. Rather, it seems that God in his mercy awards him a gift after struggle: Jacob no longer will be called Jacob but will have a new identity. He no longer will be Jacob ("heel/trickster/over-reacher…") but Israel, which may mean "God Rules, God Preserves, God Protects…."12 Out of Jacob's struggle, the chosen people called Israelites are born.
If we, like Jacob, receive a blessing through struggle, the credit belongs both to God and to us. But we should never forget that the very possibility for a blessing is a gift from God, a legacy left for each one of us.
There is one other point of the story that I would like to emphasize: Though there was a blessing for Jacob, it came only after a long and difficult struggle. The encounter ended not with a "happily ever after" finish but with Jacob's walking away with a pronounced limp. So, to say that every struggle has a blessing does not mean there is no price to pay. To say that every cloud has a silver lining does not mean we are prevented from getting drenched or even spared from catching the flu. The plot of Jacob's encounter does not read like a fairy tale. Everything does not change with the wave of a magic wand but only after sweat and struggle. Jacob's story is a true-to-life story: Somewhere in the midst of an almost overwhelming struggle there can be significant gain. At times the gain may even justify the suffering. If not, it is still worthy of effort.
I believe that Jacob's struggle has many parallels to our own battles and that his rewards can be our rewards. The biblical faith as a whole and ordinary life in particular both bear out the fact that human struggle always has within it the potential for gain -- always!
First, let me offer a very personal example. In December of last year I developed what was first diagnosed as a sciatic nerve problem. I had to stand through every church service in late December. In January the doctors discovered a damaged disc and I had to have back surgery. The whole experience was both traumatic and enriching. This particular passage now has special meaning to me. I can identify with Jacob's wrestling and his ailment.
It was amusing to me that, as I read one of the commentaries, there was a reference not to the "sinew of the hip" but to one particular nerve of the hip and leg -- a part of the anatomy that has become very familiar to me: the "sciatic nerve."13
During this past year I have struggled not only with this sciatic nerve but also with such things as fear, anxiety, discomfort, pain, boredom. But through this experience I also am very conscious of many blessings.
The most obvious blessing was a new awareness and compassion for what so many others have weathered before me -- the vulnerability of experiencing an illness that could not be quickly diagnosed or quickly treated, the uncertainty of surgery, the psychological and mental anguish of taking an M.R.I. test while being claustrophobic. Through these many experiences and feelings, I gained a new sensitivity to the plight of others, a new fervor for prayer and a renewed compassion I hope I will never lose.
The second blessing was a most pleasant reward. I received something in my struggle that Jacob was denied: the gift of loving support and encouragement in the midst of my struggle. Jacob was all alone when he met his nocturnal enemy; I had the thoughts and prayers of many. I had cards and phone calls to cheer me and urge my recovery. I am now convinced more than ever of the importance of letting others know that we care when they are going through sickness, surgery or crisis.
This morning I want to share with you a glimpse of some of that encouragement. It began with notes and cards that expressed one key theme: "Our thoughts and prayers are with you." Doesn't it make a difference when we hear those words in our time of trial?
I received a tape from the kindergarten and 3- and 4-year-old classes. What a joy to listen to their voices!
I received many warm and colorful greetings:
"Cheer up, 'cause God loves you!… And any friend of God's is a friend of mine!"
"Heard you had an operation!… Hope it didn't take too much out of you!"
"Hear you're in the hospital!… What some people won't do for a little attention!"
But one card was especially appropriate. A woman who had suffered for many months with an injury, sent me not a get-well card but a sympathy card. She wanted me to know that she knew how I felt!
To help me with my personal struggle, I received a lot of cards with advice:
"Don't let your doctor put one of those sticks in your mouth… until you know who ate the ice cream."
"Please take good care of yourself… I have enough to worry about without adding you to my list."
As you can see, I had many words of encouragement. These cards and notes were a blessing in and of themselves. But the feeling of being loved and appreciated -- that was a great gift!
Most of you have had your share of struggles. Many of them, I'm sure, had blessings that came with them -- especially if you kept struggling, kept hoping, kept expecting that there would be a payoff somewhere. Why, indeed, should we ever suffer pain without staying around long enough to receive our blessing? There always is one there. Do you believe that?
Paul believed that. My grandmother believed that. Dr. Albert Outler, noted theologian, believed that. Some of your closest friends, ones who have suffered much, believe that. No matter what the struggle, no matter who the enemy, no matter how terribly long the battle, there is a blessing to be received.
Struggle with guilt? There is forgiveness and hope. Struggle with fear? There is peace of mind in the future. Wrestle with illness? There is strength sufficient for the hour. Out of work? There is a new perspective to be gained. Concerned for a loved one? There is a faith that offers abiding presence for them and for us. Struggling with a relationship? There is the possibility for reconciliation or, if not, the gift of the power and presence of God.
There is no personal struggle for which there is no blessing. That does not mean there will be no pain or no need for courageous endurance. That does not mean we will walk away with no scars or with no limp. But it does mean that human struggle has a purpose, that struggling is not for naught, that life is never hopeless.
What would have happened if Jacob had yelled "Uncle?" What if he had "thrown in the towel" before daybreak? Would God have been forced to go to "Plan B?"
We don't know what would have happened had Jacob given up, but we do know about ourselves. We all know times when we have stopped short in our struggle, when we've had our fill of struggling and quit before the payoff. We all know the empty feeling that comes when we have experienced the pain without receiving the payoff. But that is as tragic as going through a domestic fight, getting all upset and never having the joy of making up! Jacob's strategy, Jacob's advice, makes good sense: "Don't let go until the blessing!"
I must admit that there are times when Jacob's principle is put to the ultimate test. There are times when we are ill and we do not return to health. There are times when personal relationships end in betrayal. There are times when the enemy we are fighting is so strong and so persistent that there seems little chance for victory or for blessing.
But I am claiming that every difficult struggle has not just a "token" blessing, but a significant one, that clouds have more than just a pretty silver lining -- that they are draped with the rainbows of God's blessing.
I'm not talking about "success theology" preached on television. I am not promising you as Christians a better job, restored health, material abundance or a life without tragedy. I'm talking about the promise of blessing in every struggle.
I'm not talking about a consolation prize as in the story of the Kansas farmer who had fat chickens because they fed on the swarms of grasshoppers that had stripped bare his crops and pasture. I'm not talking about a magic wand that removes the struggles of life, or takes away all scars, or ensures that there will be no limp, no residual signs of our struggle. Don't we as Christians have the cross as our symbol of faith? Don't we proclaim victory in the midst of defeat? Do we not believe in the resurrection of the dead?
I'm talking today about a faith in God in the midst of every struggle, a faith that will see us through the daily battle with alcohol, or the lifelong struggle for self-worth, or the constant battle with poor health. I'm talking about believing that one can find blessings in the strangest of places. And we find them in part because we hang in, hold on, hang tough.
But more important, we find blessings in every struggle because God puts them there. He hides these treasures in the tall grass of adversity and hopes we will search long and hard enough to find them.
One of my favorite cantatas by Alice Parker is "Melodious Accord." It ends with a magnificent hymn titled "God Moves in a Mysterious Way." Two verses proclaim the central message of Jacob's hopeful endurance:
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face.14
Jacob was right. He believed there was a blessing somewhere in his struggle. He wrestled even in the midst of his fear. He dared to ask for that which he did not deserve. He endured and received a new identity and a new direction.
Saint Paul would endorse Jacob's belief that there is blessing in every struggle. But Paul's affirmation would be based not only on the human struggle, but also on Paul's experience of the risen Christ.
Paul believed that every traumatic struggle in life had a blessing. For Paul, that blessing, that guarantee, that ultimate reality was there in the face of any enemy, any danger, any hardship, any challenge. Paul specifically named that ultimate blessing in his letter to the church at Rome:
What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31, 35, 37-39).
As we struggle with life, we need not quit. We have the presence and power of God to see us through. So hang in, hold on, hang tough. A blessing is on its way!
